Senator Andy Uba’s Extensive Academic Fraud Exposed

Senator Andy Uba has extensively falsified his academic credentials, according to finding by a team of investigators at Sahara Reporters. Documents obtained by our investigators reveal that Mr. Uba has systematically lied about every level of his academic experience, brazenly doctoring his secondary school leaving certificate and making claims to several university degrees, including a doctorate, even though he never obtained even a bachelor’s degree.

Our investigation showed that Senator Uba, whose formal names are Emmanuel Nnamdi Uba, completed his secondary school education at Union Secondary School, Awkunanaw, Enugu, the capital of then Anambra State, in 1974. His authentic statement of result issued by his secondary school revealed that Mr. Uba sat for nine subjects, namely English Language, Literature in English, Christian Religious Knowledge, Economics, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Statistics. The document, which contained the senator’s examination number, 05465089, showed that Mr. Uba failed Literature in English, Christian Religious Knowledge, and Economics, obtained “pass” grades in English Language, Mathematics, Physics, Biology, and Statistics, and earned “credit” only in Chemistry.

However, Mr. Uba forged a different “Confirmation of Result” dated November 13, 2013, claiming that the document was issued by the West African Examination Council (WAEC). In it, the senator offered a rosier picture of his academic performance. The fake document listed his grades as follows: English Literature 4, English Language 7, Christian Religious Knowledge 7, Economics 4, Statistics 6, Mathematics 6, Physics 4, and Chemistry 6. In the lower part of the document, which Mr. Uba apparently presented to the UK Border Agency in London, was the message, “You will have to satisfy yourself that he/she and UBA EMMANUEL NNAMDI of our records are one and the same person.” The document, which gave Senator Uba’s address as “14 Vaal Street, Mattama (sic) Abuja,” was signed by Oshunbote S. (Mrs.) as “Results and Certificates Officer,” and Okelezo A.A. (Mr.), “for Head of National Office.” The forged document is riddled with bad grammar, including the sentence, “The details of him/her performance at the examination are as follows.” On WAEC’s official website, www.waec.org, one of the signatories, Mr. A.A. Okelezo, is listed as the branch controller in Calabar, the capital of Cross River State.

Sahara Reporters also obtained another forged school certificate document that Mr. Uba had used to misrepresent his mediocre performance in secondary school. The results recorded in the document tally with those in the so-called “Confirmation of Result.” However, the forged certificate also betrays sloppiness, with GRADE spelled as GARDE.

Senator Uba, who emerged as a major shadowy figure on the national political stage when he worked in Aso Rock as senior domestic aide to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, actually intensified the falsification of his academic credentials post-secondary school. On his “official website,” www.andyuba.blogspot.com, Senator Uba, who represents Anambra South senatorial zone, authorized the posting of an educational profile that is discredited by the facts. Under “Education,” the official website names Concordia University, Montreal, Canada; California State University, USA, and Buxton University, UK as institutions where Mr. Uba obtained degrees. The entries in Mr. Uba’s website, often written in poor English, claim that he earned a “PhD in Biological Sciences” at Buxton University.

In a section captioned “Biography,” the website notes: “Senator (Dr.) Nnamdi Emmanuel Uba (Andy) was born on December 14, 1958 in Enugu, Enugu State…Having witnessed and survived the Nigerian civil war, with his parents and siblings, Senator Andy continued his education after the war at Boys High School Awkunanaw, Enugu State where he obtained his senior school certificate (SSCE). He gained admission abroad and was engaged in geological studies at Concordia University, Montreal Canada where he graduated with honors in 1984.

Credit: Sahara Reporters